Diluculum Luctus
by Solomon's Demise
Summary: Will later be SebastianxOC. The queen has a new assistant. Alongside Ash, a demon-angel half breed named Sora is out to 'purify' the world. While she may not agree with their ideals, she's bound to the queen. Her mission? Kill Ciel Phantomhive.
1. The First Mourning

**UPDATE: To any experienced fanfiction readers! It may seem like the 'Sora' is my Mary-Sue, but 1.) She, Sora, is in no way perfect. Later in the story, you'll find she's far x5 from perfect. Remember, it takes time to develop **_**good **_**characters. 2.) This character isn't based after myself AT ALL. Sora is my favorite name, and I use it all the time because the only other name I was going to pick was a boy's name. Which would have been cool. PLEASE DON'T JUDGE MY STORY ON THIS FACT!**

**A/N:** Here we go again. Another story I might just end up deleting. The title may be changed throughout the story, because I'm amazingly awful at titles. Unless there's a super awesome review or something that needs to be addressed, this will be the universal Author's note. Usually I don't like to add OC's, but this time it's more of an experiment. Also, I hate when people make up their own things, like powers of Angels. I'll try to avoid that as much as possible. Reviews are welcome, flames will be used to heat my house. Enjoy friends.

**Black Butler is NOT mine. I don't claim to own ANY of the characters except the one(s) I create myself.**

_**Diluculum Luctus: Mourning Twilight**_

The queen laid there, under a veil of black, suspended in space against a blood-red background while the Raven watched. The red cast a sickly colour on her deathly pale skin, shadows playing across her face from an unknown source. For the longest time, she just laid there.

Still.

Finally, she spoke. "I wish to forge a contract." Her voice was gravelly; coarse. Like a fragile toy, about to break.

The Raven cocked her head, beady eyes boring into the limp body of Her Highness.

"My angel. My sweet, sweet angel Ash. He's my butler, you know," the queen paused, as if to take a breath. "He's opened my eyes. The world is infected. Tainted. He told me how to clean it, and I'm helping him to do it.

"But we can't do it alone. I need you to kill Ciel Phantomhive. He's the source of the taint, Ash says. He tries so hard to kill the boy, but he has other work to do. But with _your _help, we could do it! Get close to him, and kill him!" The queen finished, excitement evident in her voice.

The Raven stood still. Then, her voice echoed throughout the open-space, her beak uttering no noise. "Once a contract has been forged, it cannot be broken. After you get your way, I get your soul. Are you sure this is what you want?"

The queen cracked her eyes open, her silvery eyes filled with tears, and uttered the words.

The contract was finished.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Master, your guest has arrived," spoke a suave, smooth voice.

Ciel Phantomhive sat at his mahogany desk, not even looking up to acknowledge his butler as he continued writing a letter to the queen. Finishing his sentence, he waited a minute to check for mistakes before finally looking up. His deep-as–sea blue eye pierced his butler's, Sebastian's, all knowing gaze.

"Very well. Escort him into the lounge. I will join shortly," his cool voice echoed in the large study, firm and stern.

"As you wish, master." Sebastian bowed deeply, and made to leave, but stopped halfway out the door. "Shall I bring your chess set with the tea?"

"Yes," was Ciel's tart reply. As Sebastian left him again in solitude, Ciel climbed down from his chair and reached for his walking stick. Straightening up, he folded the letter in half and slipped it inside of the left hand drawer. After this distraction was taken care of, he could get back to work. He left the study, completely at his own pace.

Ten minutes later, he glided into the lounge, glancing at his guest for the evening. This man was an important member of the Funtom Company, one of the higher ups that kept the business running when Ciel had to do his other job. He was middle aged, with graying chestnut hair. Inwardly, Ciel cringed at his appearance. His shirt coat was wrinkled. How crude.

"I'm glad you could be here this evening, Mr. Tichelli," Ciel said in a commanding voice. This man was in his house. Child or not, Ciel had the power. He always did. Walking over to his maroon armchair, Ciel sat down to notice the chess set was already set up. He smirked.

"I'm glad to be here, m'boy! We have some important matters to discuss…"

Ciel cut him off. "White moves first."

Tichelli's eyes widened. His eyes gained a sharp glint. "Pardon?"

"The game," Ciel drawled, motioning with his hand to the board in front of them. "You should take your turn."

"How childish," Tichelli muttered without thinking. Realizing Ciel had heard him, Tichelli's dull eyes widened as Ciel's uncovered one narrowed dangerously. At that point in time, there was a knock at the door. Glaring for another minute at the sheepish looking man, Ciel called his butler in.

Sebastian glided into the room, garbed in his customary black tailcoat, looking impeccably clean. His red eyes narrowed at the tension in the air, but he didn't hesitate for a minute. "Tea?"

"Ah, Sebastian, there you are," Ciel muttered. Sebastian smirked as he poured the tea. Cross the table, Tichelli was looking at the board before moving a pawn.

As Sebastian handed Tichelli a cup of Earl Gray in an elegant cup, Ciel moved his knight forward. Watching quietly, Sebastian chucked before moving behind his master.

"How forward of you, to move your knight out first. You must not be afraid to take chances," Tichelli tried to start a conversation.

"It makes no difference to me. All the pieces are pawns, in a respect. They may serve a different purpose, but they all live under the king. Sacrifices," Ciel explained.

The man frowned, and said no more. Within 20 minutes, Ciel had beaten him twice.

"You have a cunning mind, m'boy!" Tichelli exclaimed. Ciel smirked and Sebastian made a move.

"It's almost time for dinner, gentlemen. Please let me escort you down to the dining room," Sebastian gestured with his hand to the door and bowed. Ciel and Tichelli rose from their seats, following him down the many floors to the bottom.

By some God given miracle, Finnian had managed to not break anything AND stay out of trouble, Bardroy didn't burn down the kitchen, and Mey-Rin hadn't broken or spilled anything. Yet.

Ciel and Tichelli sat down, and the meal commenced. They talked politics and business, and while Ciel ate, Tichelli drank.

"What a fine butler you have there," Tichelli boomed after his third glass of wine. His Scottish lineage beginning to show in his accent. "Where'd you manage to pick him up?"

"He's served my family a long time now," Ciel smoothly lied.

Tichelli found that hilarious. His laughter rose to a quick crescendo before he stopped suddenly, and keeled over unconscious. His own butler, who had stood to the side the whole meal, apologized profusely and escorted Tichelli out to his carriage. His time at Phantomhive manor was over for the night.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ciel scowled. "And he called me childish," he said to Sebastian as the older man buttoned his shirt for bed. "Men who have no self control are useless fools in the world. They'll end up killing themselves off eventually."

As Ciel climbed into bed, Sebastian smirked.

"Stop that," Ciel commanded. "You've been unnaturally quiet today. What's with you?"

"Nothing master," Sebastian shrugged it off.

"I command you to tell me!" Ciel shouted.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yes, _master. _I've just been making preparations for tomorrow. Remember? Tomorrow is the day the queen was going to send over a delegate to discuss crime rates in London, and evaluate your progress. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Ciel's eyes, now fully uncovered, widened for a split second. He had forgotten. "Of course not! I just had other matters at hand." He settled back into bed.

Sebastian smirked, Ciel scowled. "Of course master. Good night." He blew out the candles and walked out of the room, softly closing the door. Padding lightly down the hallway, Sebastian brought his hand up to his face. The queen's delegates were never good news. Tomorrow would be an interesting day indeed.

Going over to the window, Sebastian watched the oncoming twilight, embracing it as his eyes grew red.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Her carriage rolled over the uneven road, making sleep impossible. But that didn't matter. The sun had begun it's rise again, kissing the horizon. They were beginning to get close to the Phantomhive Manor. This time, Ash was the one commandeering the carriage. It was all an act, because she could have driven the carriage by herself. But he argued, saying it would look more _official_ if he drove.

"Chauvinistic bastard," the girl, Sora, grumbled. She was bored. He refused to let her carry her bag with her, insisting that he keep it up front in case they 'got lost'. She knew the whole reason was just to slowly torture her to death. He hadn't been very happy when the queen signed her on as his 'helper', and especially not when he found out what she was.

Technically, he shouldn't be hating her. She was _technically _his boss. But he wasn't too fond of rules.

Sora was the result of an angel and a demon. Which was unheard of. The two groups just don't get along. But of course it happened. The impossible always seems to, eventually.

Her mother was the angel. And not just any angel; an archangel. So when she committed suicide after finding out she had brought a demon-angel half-breed into the world, the archangel title passed down to Sora. The only good it seemed to bring was a.) the other angels theoretically couldn't physically harm her on purpose (But they did anyway), and b.) her wings were larger, so she could fly faster (which helped escape. See reason a.)). And that's it. The only perks.

Her father was the demon. She never knew him.

All of a sudden, the carriage tilted dangerously, and Sora, who was laying on the plush bench, rolled off onto the floor with a thud.

"Sorry back there!" Ash yelled in his smooth, lifting voice. He wasn't sorry. He probably did it on purpose. "But on the bright side, if you're still conscious, we're here!"

The carriage did stop. But Sora was still on the floor. Getting up, she grumbled to herself. Now she was all dirty. That wouldn't be a good first impression.

She heard the creak of the door, and the sunlight of the early morning peaked through. The next thing she saw was Ash's face. She resisted the urge to smack him. At least he held out a hand to help her down, which she took, only to show the Phantomhive servants behind him that she was a 'proper' lady.

"Thank you, Ash," she said when her feet were secure on the ground. Her voice held a faint trace of hostility. Which he picked up on. The smirk waiting to crawl over his face could be seen in the pits of his bluish-purple eyes. She glared, before turning to the servants in front of her.

The smallest one was on the far left, with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had a straw hat on, and an innocent expression on his face with a huge grin.

The next one in line was a mauve-haired female with large glasses. She was wearing a frilly maids outfit that fit her well.

Next was a large man with blonde hair. He looked American, but Sora couldn't tell for sure.

After him was an incredibly short, super deformed old man sipping from a tea cup. She thought she heard a slight chuckle from the man.

Finally, there was a man clad in a black tailcoat, looking quite sharp. There wasn't a black hair out of place on his perfectly styled head, no imperfection in his clothing, nothing. His face was pale, with deep red eyes. He had a slightly amused look on his face, telltale by the small smirk gracing his lips. He was staring at Sora intensely, studying her, as if trying to figure out if she was a threat.

Sebastian combed over the girl that stepped out of the carriage intently. She was small in frame, petite. She had white hair, much like Ash he noted with distaste, and it was cut short in the back, but longer up front, coming down to her jaw line. Her bangs, parted at the right side over her eyebrow, were swept across her face, a strand coming to rest over her left eye. She was porcelain pale. Clad entirely in white, she looked like another angel sent to torture him. But the aura she was giving off was different. Strange. Even stranger, he noted as he studied her face, were her eyes. The right was a deep red, much like his, and the left was a sea blue with golden flecks. Unlike most girls, she wasn't swooning over the sight of him. How peculiar.

"So how long are you two going to stare at each other?" Ash asked with a bored tone in his voice. She muttered something back, that even Sebastian couldn't hear. But Ash found it funny, and let out a little chuckle.

"I'm sorry Madam, that was rude," Sebastian said as he walked up, and bowed. "Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor. We hope you will enjoy your stay." Sebastian turned to Ash. "Will you be staying for lunch today as well, Ash?"

Ash turned to look at the butler. "Not today, good sir. The queen beckons me back home. Alas, maybe another day."

However, both of them knew that Ash wasn't welcome for lunch, nor was he ever going to accept.

Going back to the carriage, Ash pulled down Sora's patent white leather bag. He handed it to her, and got back into the carriage. Saluting her, he called out, "Be good. Try not to make the same mistake twice love!"

Sora hated when he called her that. It was taunting, and he was practically begging to be keelhauled. But putting on a smile, Sora called out, just as cheerily, "Of course Ash! And do try to fix that impotency problem of yours while I'm away. I'm _quite _tired of hearing you complain about it!"

If looks could kill, Sora would be cut up into tiny pieces, burned, frozen, then fed to the fishes. With no other words, Ash snapped the reins and the horses shot forward in a cloud of dust.

Turning back to the servants, Sora looked at their awestruck faces. Even Sebastian was mildly surprised that Ash would take that and not retort back. Or that a _lady _would even say that in the first place. But there were more important matters at hand. Just as he opened his mouth to invite her in, she spoke.

"Sorry about that. Usually I'm not that… vulgar. Unfortunately, though, that is sometimes the only way to silence Ash. I apologize, and I hope your image of me isn't dampened by that display."

The tall, blonde servant chuckled.

Sebastian decided to try again. "Oh, it's quite alright. Please, follow me inside to the lounge. The young master will be with you shortly." He bowed again, and offered out his hand. Sora stared at it, inwardly debating on whether or not she should take it. Finally, she just stared at him with her mismatched eyes.

He withdrew his hand, a little miffed. Now he looked like a fool. Should he have offered her his hand in the first place? Probably not, they just met! This wasn't how a butler was supposed to act. Turning around, he walked back over to the door. She followed silently.

"Don't you have work to do, you three?" He all but snapped at the servants, except the old man. The other three scrambled off, like bugs.

Highly amused that she managed to make him mad that fast (for she could hear the quiet hostility in his voice, and assumed it was because of her), she watched silently as he unhitched the lock and opened the doors into the dark hall of Phantomhive manor.


	2. His Knight, Her Own Queen

_**Diluculum Luctus**_

The first thought Sebastian had about their new guest was good. She didn't look like the type to break anything. Make his master mad, defiantly (not that it was that hard). But break anything? Defiantly NOT. She moved gracefully, like a dancer that never left the stage.

His second thought? He'd have his hands full with his master when she met Ciel, this spitfire of a girl who knowingly insulted an angel, and didn't get punished for it. He was pretty sure that insulting an angel was up there with the Seven Deadly Sins. Hell hath no fury like an angel scorned. Dealing with a pompous twelve year old would be quite similar.

Finally, his third thought? Pure loathing. Her close proximity even, walking behind him, made him feel sick. His thought was confirmed. She was an angel. The repulsive, glowing light that seemed to radiate from her pores, the clear voice that sounds like bells, the perfect features. Except for her eyes.

But… Even through his hatred, he could feel something else. When he forced himself to look back at her, to 'make sure she was following,' there was a darker presence in her aura that radiated from her, one that every time he tried to grasp and identify slipped straight from his grasp. Something not-so-innocent that drew him in, something that had him gravitating towards her like a magnet, yet her existence repelled him at the same time.

When they arrived at the door to the lounge, he opened it like a good butler, showed her inside, gave her a seat, and after he assured her that Master Ciel would be in shortly, he got the hell out of there. He walked briskly, almost a run, down to the kitchen.

When he got there, he shooed Bardroy out like an annoying dog, shooting a not-so-nice look as the servant tried to conceal his flamethrower under his shirt. Grabbing the tea kettle, he began to prepare the afternoon tea. Running through the motions so familiar to him now would take his mind off of the angel. The damn angels. Of all the people on Earth, it had to be Ciel Phantomhive, the only boy who could attract supernatural beings to him like flies to that sticky paper.

Protecting the boy was almost a nuisance.

Sebastian decided on a deep dish apple pie, this time hoping his master wouldn't be kidnapped, and might be able to enjoy it.

Placing it on a serving tray, he placed that onto a sliver cart that could easily be rolled over the plush carpets and hardwood floors of the manor.

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian mentally prepared himself as he rolled the cart forward.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As soon as Sebastian left, Sora let out a huge breath she didn't even know she was holding. His presence infuriated her, yet attracted her at the same time. She had to admit, even for a demon he wasn't too bad looking.

'Although,' she thought to herself as she propped her elbow up on the armrest and placed her chin in her hand, looking out of the widow into the neatly trimmed gardens. 'I really shouldn't judge…' Being half demon herself, she felt remorse all of a sudden. She was hating one of her own kind! But it's not like she could _help _it.

With that, the door opened to reveal a boy about her height, garbed in an ornate blue coat and trousers. His eye patch covered his left eye, and his blue hair fell into his face.

He walked into the room, using a walking stick. Sora had to refrain from laughing right there. The kid was twelve and using a walking stick?

Sora stood up, and shook the kid, Ciel's, hand. His grasp was firm, and Ciel was surprised to feel hers was as well. Most women had dainty, feminine handshakes that lacked any sort of substance behind them.

Releasing her hand, Ciel sat in the armchair across from hers, the chess table separating them. She sat as well, and leaned forward to reset the board that was still out from Ciel's previous guest.

"Fancy a game, friend?" Her lifting voice asked. She peeked up at him as she reset it, her dainty eyebrows raising.

"I was about to suggest it myself," Ciel said, sort of glad to have found someone who loved games, especially chess, as much as him. However, this girl left him a bit wary. She reminded him a little too much of Sebastian. Speaking of which…

Sebastian walked through the door, gracefully commandeering the door to not crash into the cart he expertly pushed into the room. Closing it behind him, Sebastian rolled the cart over to the table, where Sora had just made her first move. She was playing white. How fitting.

Ciel moved out his knight, something that had become sort of a signature for him, as Sebastian cut the pie. The smell of sweet apple filled the room, and Sora's stomach growled. Only then did she realize she forgot to get Ash to feed her this morning. Sebastian smirked at the noise and her eyes narrowed.

Ciel and Sora played, as they sipped their tea. The first sip, Sora gagged.

"What's the matter? Is the tea not to your liking?" Ciel asked, amused, as he moved his rook. He knew his strategy now, knowing how to destroy her at his game. She had put up a fairly good fight, but he had never lost a game, and wasn't about to start.

"No, not at all. This is Earl Gray?" The way she said it was more of a statement than a question. She surveyed the board, and smiled gently to herself.

"Yes. It's my favourite. I think it's lovely. But Sebastian can prepare you something else if you'd like," Ciel said, resting his head on his hand, glancing at his butler. His eyes narrowed when he saw the way Sebastian was glaring at their unaware guest. Pure hatred shone in his eyes. What did he know?

"That would be quite agreeable, actually," she said as she set the cup back onto the cart. Ciel watched her out of the corner of his eye as she moved. He hadn't actually expected her to agree. Usually his guests went along with it. They conformed. She seemed to be breaking all of the 'usually's' of his _normal _guests. He had just offered to make him seem like a better host.

Sebastian openly glared, and just as Ciel was about to chastise him, when she opened up her mouth.

"It's quite alright. I do not mind his glaring. I receive the same from Ash all the time," she smiled, looking at Ciel. Something in him relaxed at this gesture, and he didn't know why.

"Sebastian, stop being rude to our guest!" Ciel said anyway, openly chastising Sebastian, which he rarely did.

Sebastian bit his tongue. He didn't know what was stopping him from telling his master of this _monstrosity _in the manor. "Is there any certain flavor of tea you prefer, Madam?"

"Yes, actually. Lemon," she looked highly amused now, and his hostile emotions rose up in him. His demonic instincts were telling him to tear this angel to shreds. It took all his self control to walk out of the room.

"One hell of a butler you have there," Sora said. "Oh, and checkmate friend."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Later that night, as Sebastian was getting Ciel ready for bed, he lent an ear to the boy, who seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts.

"Do you think she knows something?" Ciel asked, his uncovered eyes staring at Sebastian thoughtfully. "She told me you were 'one hell of a butler'. A lady like her wouldn't swear like that."

Sebastian thought for a minute, knowing he couldn't lie. "It could be a distinct possibility, yes."

"And Ash. You told me the way he was acting. Joking, playful. Like a brother and sister. That's defiantly not normal for such a 'prim and proper' butler. An act, maybe?"

"I think that is the most likely conclusion. The two probably guessed that I could hear them in the carriage. It's not the most wise thing, to underestimate an angel. Ash knows the limits of my abilities, having fought each other once. He very well could have orchestrated the ride to the manor, to make him not look like the bad guy, and to lower our guard around the girl. I can guess he took a risk with testing my hearing."

Ciel paused. "You know something I don't, about her!" Ciel's eyes narrowed at his own accusation. "I order you to tell me!"

Sebastian finished buttoning up his shirt, trying to buy himself some time by pulling back the bed sheets.

"Sebastian!" Ciel's hand came down across the butler's cheek, the smack resonating through the room. "That was a _direct order!_"

"I'm sorry master. I merely wanted to make you comfortable."

"She's not human, is she?" Ciel spat out.

"No, I do not believe so. However I cannot identify whatever she is, right at the moment. She's… different…" Sebastian drawled out.

Ciel frowned, the shadows playing across his face making him look like a little child. "As the queen's delegate I can't really throw her out, but she can leave of her own accord. Find out what she really wants, and extract her from this land as soon as possible. That is an order!"

"Yes, master," Sebastian said, and left the room, leaving Ciel to his dreams.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sora had been shown to her room earlier that evening, after dinner. They, Ciel and herself, hadn't discussed any official business yet. She should soon. The presence of that butler was starting to get on her nerves. Like a constant ticking noise, it could be easily ignored, but as soon as you hear it, you can never unhear it.

Lying on her bed spread eagle, Sora stared up at the ceiling. Before switching to lay on her left side. Before then switching to lay on her back again.

She was bored. When she had Ash pack her bag, for she had meetings to discuss their plan with the queen, she _specifically _asked him to pack her a couple of books. Leave it to Ash to 'forget'. Maybe there was some sort of library in this house. There had to be.

But it was late. Around eleven.

No one would be awake. She was positive. Every human in their right mind was asleep, and even Sebastian was probably busy. Slinking around his room. She'd noticed demons usually like to _slink._ Including herself, on occasion.

She made up her mind. Pulling on her white boots, she also clipped her (white, of course) cape back on. It was something she always wore. And it completed her outfit.

Soundlessly, Sora slipped out of her room. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the manor, her pointed ears twitching at the slight noises here and there. She crouched slightly, crawling into the shadows where she would be better concealed. The hallways were like a maze, but Sora was fairly certain she knew her way. If you follow the left wall, theoretically you should always find your way out.

Down the hall she crept, slowly, opening doors to try to find the library. It was a slow process. But it was something to do, at least.

It felt like hours until she finally reached the right door. Ironically, it was the door straight to the right of her own. So much for that theory…

She crawled inside, finally straightening up. Her back felt strained and she stretched it for a minute before walking over to the shelf.

_Jane Eyre_? No. _Wuthering Heights? _Boring. _The Art of War. _Now we were getting somewhere. _Crime and Punishment_? Defiantly. Reaching up, Sora nimbly grabbed the book off of the shelf. She practically ran from the room, giddy. Now she wouldn't be bored! No one would miss _Crime and Punishment _anyway.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

That whole time, Sebastian had been out in the dark streets of London, paying a visit to the only Grim Reaper he could _stand._ The Undertaker.

After successfully making the long haired man laugh, Sebastian sat down to a cup of tea. The Undertaker was his main informant on the going-ons of London underground, the only one he somewhat trusted the information from.

"You smell like angels," the Undertaker noted with slight amusement in his face. He knew how much the demons hated the angels.

"The young master has seemed to have attracted another one," Sebastian said with distaste. "He seems to have a knack for that."

The Undertaker said nothing, but his face clearly said he knew something. But Sebastian didn't have the time.

"What's the real reason you're here?" The Undertaker said, his voice suddenly low and gravelly. "I doubt you're here for a friendly chat over some tea."

Right to the point then.

"What do you know about an angel by the name of Sora?" Sebastian asked, knowing that the Undertaker most defiantly knew. He came to know everyone, being the world's greatest Grim Reaper.

The Undertaker began to cackle. "You've met ol' Sora, eh? Piece of work, isn't she?"

Sebastian said nothing, his stare was all the Undertaker needed before continuing.

"Well first off, she isn't completely angel. She's a half-breed."

Sebastian wrinkled his nose. Half breeds were usually deformed idiots. "A half breed with _what?_"

"Here's the best part. She's half angel… and half demon."

Sebastian stared. "That can't be possible. No demon in their right mind would touch such a disgusting creature."

"It's funny how the impossible always happens, isn't it?" He cackled again. "And her mother wasn't just any angel. She was one of those higher ups; an archangel. Those titles are hereditary, you know. So after her mother, Diana, committed suicide the title passed down to her. It was different, for everyone. A half-breed, as a leader? Unheard of.

"Now her father. He was the demon, an outcast from what I hear. No one knows exactly who he is, but there are whispers of his name here in again. People refer to him as 'Solomon', but that sounds like another rumor to me. What I hear is he mistook Diane for a human, and vice versa. They must have either been two idiots to not realize it, or really good at hiding their identities. But out of wedlock, little Sora came to be.

"Sora herself is a mystery. She's supposed to be leading, but every couple hundred years she'll disappear from up there," Undertaker motioned upwards with his finger, "and not be seen or found by anyone. Then she'll calmly walk in one day, unscathed. I've only met her once, and she's one of the most charming people I've ever met. Tell her to come over for a cup of tea sometime. Is lemon still her favorite?"

"Now, being half demon, can she still forge contracts?" Sebastian asked, finally getting to the whole reason he came over.

"I'd imagine so. I don't think anyone knows the full extent of what she can do. Not even herself. All I know is she has powerful angel blood, and from the sound of things, powerful demon blood. I wouldn't want her as an enemy," the Undertaker finished, looking quite grim. He took a sip of the tea both he and Sebastian had neglected.

"Thank you, Undertaker. If that is all, I should be on my way," Sebastian got up to leave.

"Not quite yet," the Undertaker said, stopping Sebastian. "Why are you so curious?"

Sebastian smirked, "You'll find out in due time."

The Undertaker nodded, accepting that. Things that Sebastian liked about the Undertaker, he didn't ask too many questions, like Grell, or pry… like Grell.

Leaving his untouched tea on the table, Sebastian bid farewell to the Undertaker and was back off, into the night. Hoping, praying that Mey-Rin had done her job protecting Ciel.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was still late, and Sora had finished the book. Instead of going to get a new one, she chucked it on her bedside table and instead looked out the window.

Today had gone extremely well.

For once, Ash was right. The two played nice on the way there, like a brother and sister. Ash had convinced the queen this would be best. It would supposedly show Ciel and Sebastian that he wasn't such a bad guy, AND warm them up to Sora. But it was also supposed to make them suspicious. The more focused they were on Sora, the more information Ash could gather from right under their noses. All while Sora got close to Ciel. It was win-win, so far.

Of course, actually trying to act nice to Ash had been a problem. He was such an idealist.

The meeting with Ciel had gone flawlessly. She knew she had gained his favor when she offered to play chess with him. Beating him was probably a bit much, but that was optional for Sora to do. Her comment had made Ciel suspicious, just as it should have. Right now, Ash was hopefully pulling off his part of the plan. And most importantly, they didn't have to play nice anymore, unless they were around the Phantomhive household.

Now, she was only worried about Sebastian. The demon seemed to be on to her, staring at her with those red eyes of his. He knew what she was, or at least HALF of what she was. It would be harder to operate with him around. Harder to gain Ciel's favor by his constant whispering in his ear. He was a nuisance.

But she knew, if the time came, she could take Sebastian down. She knew his true form, and everything about him. Gathering concrete information had been difficult, but she had managed.

This game of chess had begun.


	3. Her Sins, Her Secrets

**If you haven't seen it already, people who have read this story since May 15****th****, please go back to chapter one and read the new, updated note. It explains how Sora is NOT a Mary-Sue, despite having my name. I find it highly important :P **

**Also, I changed my name. I am no longer xxxSora-kun.**

_**Diluculum Luctus**_

Dawn peaked its way through the curtains that framed her window, shining on her face. Around three, she decided, was the time she began to doze last night. Which meant she slept in her clothes.

At thought, Sora leapt out of bed with vigor. It was a _sin _in her book to wear the same thing two days in a row. Unheard of!

She opened her bag to see what else was in there. She had, thankfully, packed her own clothes. And brought plenty of choices.

Finally, Sora decided on black. Black shorts with a gold trim that came down to her knees, a black button-up polo shirt with a loose collar, and black boots. To finish, she slipped on a black cloak with a gold chain fastening, which she fastened, and a black beret. She figured with the black hat, she wouldn't need to change her hair colour. Looking in the mirror, Sora decided that while her eyes went well with black already, green went better. She changed it quickly, literally in the blink of an eye.

The only problem with this, was by the time lunchtime came around, she would be exhausted. She could only keep up the transformation up for so long.

She discovered she could morph her features when she was four, in human years. She credited it to the demon side of her. She had heard of little tanuki, Japanese demons that liked to play tricks on humans by transforming. It would explain her Japanese name, Sora, as well. All her life she had just assumed her father was Japanese.

Standing in front of the mirror, Sora examined herself. She wasn't _vain_, really. She didn't care how pretty or ugly she was. But to her, clothes were really important. A way of expression. Like how art or music or cooking were to other people.

Deciding she was sufficiently dressed for the official matters today, Sora walked out into the hallway, only to almost be knocked down by a servant running at the speed of light away from something. Or someone.

"PLUTO!" Someone screeched, and there was a large bang. Then… silence. Eyes widening, Sora ran towards the noise. Until she got lost.

Grumbling to herself, Sora finally tried the left theory again, running through the halls. She avoided paintings and vases and the like, before coming to the main foyer. Sprinting down the steps, she threw open the front doors with a crack. Only to see something large and white come hurtling towards her.

"Watch out!" A feminine voice shouted from behind the oncoming figure.

Just as the ball of white fluff was about to hit her, Sora stuck her hand out, effectively stopping it in its tracks. She heard a muffled whine as the ball of fluff tumbled down the main stairs onto the stone pavement. She then heard footsteps coming from her left. Glancing over, she saw two of the servants from yesterday standing there; the small sandy haired boy and the girl with glasses. They both started at her appearance, not recognizing her for a moment.

"S-so sorry miss, I am!" The girl stuttered.

"Pluto can get a bit out of control," the boy said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"Pluto?" Sora said, glancing at the now enlarged ball of fur. It stared at her with glowing red eyes. "Is that… a demon hound!"

The servants glanced at each other. "Yeah, how'd you know?

Sora looked at the dog, Pluto, for a minute longer before looking back at the two. "Lucky guess," she supplied.

There was a silence, before the woman spoke again.

"Oh, I don't think we've introduced ourselves, Finni! My name is Mey-Rin. I'm a maid here in the manor," the woman said, nervously adjusting her glasses.

"And I'm Finnian, but just call me Finni! I'm the gardener!" The boy had a light in his eyes, a happy light that shone bright in his innocent face.

"I'm Sora, and I'm guessing that's Pluto?" She motioned towards the dog, that was now sniffing the bushes. Finni nodded.

All of a sudden, there was a heavy, oppressing presence, and for the first time since she came out, Sora noticed the garden was in shambles. Sebastian. He moved behind her, and her first reflex was to retaliate. She aimed a sweeping kick at his legs, which he wasn't expecting so suddenly. He went crashing to the floor, and bringing her with him.

Now on the floor, Sora scrambled to get up. Her outfit… good. No mud. She looked at Sebastian, who was picking himself off the floor as well. He looked cross. He hadn't even offered to help her up. He may be a demon, but that was _harsh_.

He glared at her for a minute, and she stared back, with just as much force. Deciding she wasn't worth his time, Sebastian turned towards the two servants.

"_What happened?" _He managed to hiss.

Finni looked sheepish, and Mey-Rin blushed. Neither spoke for a minute, and just as Finni opened his mouth, Sora spoke.

"I excited Pluto, Sebastian. I was curious about this 'demon hound' of yours. He just wanted to play with me."

All of them knew she was lying. Even Pluto seemed to look at her as she spoke, with a skeptical look on his doggy face.

Sebastian stayed silent for a moment. It's not like he could do anything to her. She was a member of Her Highness' court. In a higher place than Ciel. She held political power Ciel could only dream of.

"Very well. Please refrain from antics that might make this happen again, _miss_," he sneered the 'miss', "And you have also received a letter." Opining up his tailcoat, he pulled out a letter from one of the pockets and handed it to her. "Finni, Mey-Rin, clean this up. If you'll excuse me…" Sebastian bowed to Sora and walked out, leaving her on the doorstep alone, clutching the letter.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sebastian's morning had not started well. Ciel made it quite clear that he did _not _want to get up for his lessons. Even more so, he couldn't decide on what to eat for breakfast, so then was very cross when he did decide on something and it was cold from all the time he spent pondering what to eat in the first place.

Then there was the accident with Pluto, which _Sora _had taken the blame for. He still couldn't figure out why she would care about those idiots Ciel called servants.

So now he was off to make lunchtime tea. Sora had gone up to Ciel's study to speak with him about crime rates in London. Tomorrow would be his evaluation. Why the queen decided to start evaluating him now was quite over his head. Sebastian never did enjoy politicians themselves.

He prepared Earl Gray and chocolate cake for his master, and lemon tea with a lemon meringue pie for his guest. Sebastian quickly learned after three meals that lemon was her favourite flavor.

Placing it on the cart, Sebastian began his daily route up to the study. When he got there, he could hear the muffled voices of the two behind the door. Knocking once to announce his presence, he walked in. They continued without even acknowledging him.

"Yes but the fact is, after Jack the Ripper, crime seemed to stop for a while. That is not to be overlooked!" Ciel shouted.

"My point is that, while you do eventually eliminate these criminals, your time from getting the case to solving it is beginning to grow longer. Nobles are starting to think you can't do your job. Crime rates are rising again. After that curry competition fiasco, the queen began to seriously doubt your efficiency. Scotland Yard has been doing better. And that's saying something."

Ciel's jaw twitched at the mention of Scotland Yard.

"Tea?" Sebastian offered.

Ciel waved him over, but Sora stood up.

"No. I'm going out to London for a while. I shan't be back until evening."

And with that, she was gone.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Deep in the alleyways of London, Sora climbed up a ladder leading to a roof of some strange building. This is where they were meeting? The details in the letter hadn't been very clear.

Yes. There he was. Ash.

"You're late," he said, his voice sharp and eyes narrowed.

"We don't all have unlimited free time," she spat back, just as annoyed. He was always wanting to meet in the most godforsaken places. "Give me the letter, so I can go. The butler is already suspicious of me, and we can't blow the mission now."

He pulled out a letter from his jacket pocket. Going over to him, she reached out her hand. Quick as sound itself, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her.

"I fixed that _impotency _problem. Want to see?" Great. Now he was getting nasty.

"Ash, _let me go," _Sora hissed, elbowing him in the ribs. He released her with a dirty look. One that spoke of revenge and payback. She knew he would kill her if he could. She could feel it in the way he tensed up, like a feral cat about to pounce. As quick as he tensed, he relaxed.

"Also, you should know the demon went to the Undertaker the other day, to ask about you. He knows about your heritage," Ash said with a smirk. He, like everyone else, disregarded her position in the angel hierarchy and treated her like another filthy half-breed. She glared back.

"I'd watch your back. Demons can't be trusted, the nasty creatures…" Ash opened his wings, getting ready to go. "Ja ne."

Sora watched the sky after he left, anger rising up in the pit of her stomach. He was disgusting, a fallen angel.

Climbing down from the roof, Sora looked at the time. It was about five, enough time to get home and still miss dinner. She started on the walk, not risking running with humans still nearby.

Sora still couldn't stand Sebastian. And she was sure the feeling was mutual. But she, shockingly enough, preferred his company over Ash's. There was something about Sebastian, the way he carried himself, or the way he was able to control himself around Ciel, that piqued her interest. She could tell he _really _wanted Ciel's soul. In the end, she decided, he was just like every other demon. Filthy.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sebastian still hated Sora. In her angelic ways. He tried to obey his master by monitoring her, but she always seemed to escape, and run off. He would much prefer her company then that damn Ash, which he saw as a positive sign. Maybe, if she stopped shunning her demon side, they could get along…

Yes. He almost fooled himself for a minute.

He let her in when she got home, opening the front doors and escorting her to her room. Bidding her goodnight, he went to dress Ciel for bed.

As he was performing his butler duties, Sora figured this would be the perfect time for her plan. She waited until Sebastian's footsteps could be heard overhead before she snuck out of her room. Silently, she climbed the east stairs, because she knew from two nights of observation he went down the west stairs to the second floor, where his room was located. If she had waited, he would have heard her footsteps as he crossed the third floor to go down to the second. She climbed all the way to the fourth floor, before waiting a couple of minutes. Slinking through the shadows, Sora was quieter than a feather hitting the floor. She reached the study and quietly, ever so quietly, snuck in.

The letter that Ash had given to her was in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Phase two f the plan. She planted the letter in the desk and made it look like it had been read already. Quickly, she got out of there.

Only to hear footsteps down the hall, briskly coming her way. Sora's eyes widened, and she began to think.

She could transform, like other demons, so that was always a choice.

Or she could just run like hell and pray that she be quiet enough to get away…

Even better. She knew what to do. Quickly, she grabbed the nearest vase, located on pedestals throughout the manor, and threw it as far as she could down the hallway. Hopefully, Sebastian would run past and be too preoccupied to sense the angel that was hiding in the study.

The vase made a large crash, and soon enough Sebastian came sprinting down the hall. But he stopped, right outside the study door. He felt off. Something was different.

Making no noise, Sebastian crept over to the door, turned the knob, and quickly opened the door, hoping to startle anyone in the room. Nothing. His eyes scanned the room, and he swore he could feel that angel lurking around. He went and checked behind bookcases and the desk, but no one was there.

Slowly, with narrowed eyes, he left the room.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Sora climbed down from the beams on the ceiling, and got the hell out of the study.

Safe and sound back in her room, Sora collapsed onto the bed. Phase two of the plan had commenced. She had successfully planted the letter. And even if Sebastian pointed the blame at her tomorrow, he had no proof to her being in the study.

But it was an unnaturally close call. Why hadn't he been in his quarters? He wasn't that good, was her initial impression. Usually demons were slower, not as smart. But no matter how smart Sebastian was, there's no way he could have found out about their plan already. Unless he was good at speculation.

If things were to go smoothly from here on out, she's have to be a lot more careful.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I'm putting you on probation, under orders of the queen," Sora said, no nonsense, with her eyes hard as steel.

Ciel's eyes widened in outrage and shock. "What?"

Even Sebastian looked on now, his interest piqued, wondering how this was going to play out. He stood behind Ciel, watching.

"The queen sent you a letter two months ago about a serial murderer in the Hampshire region. You have not responded nor caught the culprit. This is exactly what my point was yesterday. I will be here for two months to watch your progress, and monitor how you work. The queen can't have _slackers," _she sneered, intentionally sounding mean to provoke Ciel. She needed him mad.

"I never received a letter from Her Highness. If you were to search my desk, you would find no letter," Ciel said smugly.

"Is that so? Then may I?" Sora inquired, motioning with her hand to the mahogany desk. At Ciel's nod, Sora walked over.

"Top drawer on the right," Ciel said. "That's all that will be necessary."

Sora pulled open the drawer, pretended to search for a moment, and pulled out the letter she had planted last night. She raised it up next to her head and raised an eyebrow. Ciel looked confused. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sora cut across him.

"Ciel Phantomhive, you are now under probation. Luckily enough for you, this case was solved by Scotland Yard, so it's no longer a bother to you. In two months, I will evaluate your progress again, and judge if this job is too hard for a little boy." She thought that insult was a good one. "If you fail, the job will be handed to someone else, and you will no longer have to worry."

"I object to this! I have never seen this letter in my life!" Ciel tried to argue. When he saw it was futile, he scowled. "Fine. If this is what Her Majesty wants, I will comply."

Sora nodded, and with that, took her leave.

After she was gone, Sebastian turned to Ciel.

"This is outrageous. Never have I seen that letter before in my life. Do you think someone could have planted it?" Ciel asked, fiddling with his jackets sleeve cuff.

"It's a distinct possibility. Last night, there was a vase that seemed to have been thrown across the manor. When I investigated, I sensed the presence of something, but could not place it."

Ciel looked up at his butler. Standing up, he began to yell. "Why am I _just_ hearing of this!"

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He didn't enjoy being chastised by a twelve year old. "I didn't see the point until I was accurately able to pinpoint the culprit, master. It could have been a mouse, or stray cat."

"From now on, I want you to patrol the corridors nearest _her _room. Make sure she stays in there the whole night. Report to me _every _out of place item, any mishaps, any strange noises for Pete's sake, to me in the morning. That is an order!" Ciel fumed.

"Yes master," Sebastian murmured as his eyes grew red.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sebastian found her in the darkest corridor, the one with all the paintings, admiring the artwork. She had her back to him, looking at the portrait of Vincent Phantomhive, Ciel's late father. As she made to move, Sebastian moved up behind her so she walked right into him. Quickly he grabbed her glove-clad left hand, which she seemed to use more often, and pinned it to the wall. He leaned in closely to her face, nauseated by the smell of angel.

She hissed in protest, and opened her mouth to yell.

"I know it was you last night in the study," Sebastian hissed before she could speak. "Any stunt like that again, and I will personally have your head."

"Quite a threat," she sneered sarcastically. "Are you forgetting who floored you this morning?"

He ignored her comment. "The fact that you didn't deny it piques my interest. It was you."

She shrugged, despite his still holding her forearm hostage against the wall. "You'll never know, will you?" She paused, thinking. "I'm betting Ciel asked you to watch me. He has you on a tight leash now. You're like a trained demon, a good little boy. But you'll never find anything." She leaned in, and despite their height difference, and got close to his face. His was only about two inches from hers.

"Because I, have nothing to hide," she stated. Yanking her arm from his grip, Sora strutted back down the hallway, leaving Sebastian there next to the painting, her glove clutched in his grasp, his hand still on the wall, alone.


	4. Her Obsessions, His Intrest

_**Diluculum Luctus**_

"If you're just going to lie there, at least try to make yourself useful," Ciel muttered to Sora.

She was lounging on his couch as he worked. He sounded irate, and Sora ignored him. She could almost hear him grinding his teeth in frustration. It was her own form of entertainment. Other than annoying Sebastian.

Speaking of, he had taken to ignoring her today, which Ciel was perfectly fine with. He went along his schedule just as usual, being the most frustratingly perfect butler ever.

"Master, today for dessert I have prepared a graham cracker crust deep dish turtle cheesecake. It will be ready soon. Would you like to dine in the study today?" Sora whipped around. When did _he _come in! She didn't even sense him!

"Yes, I will," Ciel muttered, only half aware of what he was saying.

"Understood, young lord. I will have it up shortly." With a curt bow, Sebastian left. As he turned, he caught the eye of Sora. She glared, he smirked.

After their little run-in in the hallway, Sora had sabotaged his work in every way she could. He, in turn, tried to make her life hell in the nicest way possible. That was, until she proved her usefulness by saving a _very _expensive vase that Finni had knocked over. After that, he held her in a grudging respect, not _directly _trying to make her miserable.

But she didn't stop. She tore up pieces of paper and threw them at his back without being caught, making it 'snow'. She 'accidentally' spilled tea on his tailcoat, and announced very loudly in front of the other servants that he had to get over his cat fetish, because it was 'quite creepy'.

At first he had just ignored it, but when it escalated, he finally acknowledged her pranks. A glare, or a quick tug on her hair when she passed (he found out that was the quickest way to get her to squirm; she hated it). It was quite unprofessional of such a high class butler, so he did it when nobody else was around. And it seemed to do the trick. He didn't usually have to say anything to ask her to stop when he did get annoyed to the boiling point, she seemed to already know. But occasionally (as in a few times a day), he'd find things misplaced throughout the house. The funny thing was, he didn't ask her to stop. He almost didn't _want _her to.

Not that he'd ever tell her that. Her ego was already inflated enough as is. The way she acted, strutting around the manor like she owned it. The way she challenged Ciel, putting him in his place right away, it was almost amusing to watch, if he didn't have to listen to Ciel complain every night.

He found her actions amusing enough, when they didn't interfere with his work.

But don't get it wrong. He still hated her. An angel. How could anyone ever love such a disgusting creature? He hated her perfect features, for there was no doubt she was attractive, and he hated her voice, like peals of bells. He hated her weird obsession of clothes, because they fit her like a glove, and made her look dashing.

Most of all, Sebastian hated the way she shunned the dark, the demon side of her teased him. He could see it playing in the pools of her eyes…

Her eyes. They shone like jewels, and flashed like lightning. He saw the dark, the light, and every emotion that danced throughout them. They masked her heart, her soul. Only when he looked straight into her eyes could he tell what kind of mood she was in. In them he saw the demon lurking within.

That's the part that attracted him, like a magnet. Her façade of innocence, marred be the presence of a darker side. One she never let slip from the tight way she had it bound, reluctant to show it. He wanted to break the innocence, see her tears streak down her face, drag out the dark by the shackles that hold it in place and unleash it, cultivate it. He wanted to break her will.

"Bring me a slice too, please," she piped up from the couch, raising her hand up for no apparent reason. She was splayed out over the couch. Her clothes today were a midnight black, a shade that brought out the pure paleness of her skin. The jacket and trousers were quite well fitting, with silver buttons and trim. Her cape was today replaced by a long riding cloak that was quite large on her, with a silver chain fastening and trim. Parts of it were draped all over the couch.

She looked quite comfortable. And bored.

"Of course my lady," he bowed again and left. She watched him leave, and after shooting a glance at Ciel, got up and chased after him.

She knew that he knew that she was following him. But he didn't seem to want to acknowledge her. In fact, he turned around with a grimace in the middle of the long hallway. "My lady?"

"I'm bored," she deadpanned. "I shall retire for the afternoon. Bring the cake up to my room, please."

"Of course, my lady," he bowed again, and walked off towards the kitchen, Sora watching his sleek strut all the way down the hallway. Even after his figure was swallowed by the shadows, she remained there for a couple more minutes before sprinting back to her room.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Damn Ciel, damn his house, and damn his butler! The boy himself was a nuisance, but the butler? Deep blood-red eyes, impeccable dress, that perfect hair… Sora couldn't deny that Sebastian was quite lovely.

But there was something that unnerved her. While she would be doing trivial things, sometimes she'd feel his eyes boring into her back. Sometimes she even caught him, staring at her like she was something to eat. Like some jungle cat on the prowl. On some days when she made him particularly mad, she could feel the bloodlust radiating out of his pores. He quite literally wanted to rip her throat out.

Deep down she knew that he had no idea of her plans. But during her now nightly strolls, she felt watched. Like someone was monitoring her every move, scrutinizing her actions to find the one imperfection that would be her downfall. She now completely avoided the hallway with all the portraits, in case she find him slinking around.

He had calmed down since she had 'saved' that vase. She had asked Finni to race, knowing that he'd trip over something. Luckily, he tripped right in front of Sebastian. The look on Sebastian's face when she had plucked it right out of the air was priceless.

All of a sudden, breaking through her thoughts was a knock at the door. A clear, crisp knock.

Hurriedly, Sora looked around her room. It was a mess, for one, with discarded outfits laying on the floor, just in the way so they wouldn't be wrinkled. She had pea coats, long cloaks, one or two dresses, everything, spread out through the spacious room. She couldn't clean up in time…

"Come in," she mustered out. If Sebastian saw this, he'd either be outraged at the mess, or poke fun at her obsession with clothes for the rest of their time together. She prayed it was Mey-Rin, which she highly doubted it was because there had been no crashes yet.

And of course, fate does not shine upon the wicked. Sebastian opened the door, looked around the room, then to the sheepish looking girl sitting in the middle of her bed. Then back to the room.

Clothes were strewn everywhere, the most orderly mess he'd ever seen. Of every shade ever known to man. There were complete outfits laid out on the floor, so they wouldn't be wrinkled, and some even draped on chairs, the dresser, you name it. It made it impossible to walk through the room.

He looked back at Sora with an unreadable expression.

"How do you get out of your room?"

Dumbfounded. Stupefied. That's how she felt. She expected yelling, to be scolded like a child.

"I fly," she answered simply. "It's kind of a hassle."

Sebastian raised an amused eyebrow. He knew that angels had wings, but it seemed funny to think of a demon with wings. "Then why don't you clean up?"

She shrugged. "Even bigger a hassle."

He sighed, knowing he'd sneak back in later when she took her walk to clean up. Right now, it made it impossible to wheel the cart in to give her the cake and tea. He picked up said items and prepared for a dangerous jump. Dangerous because if he spilt anything on her clothes, he knew she'd kill him. He steeled his nerves, and jumped.

He was quite graceful, jumping through the air like that. However, she was poised to kill with one strike, dare he spill.

Being the most damnably perfect butler ever, he made it over without spilling a drop. Setting it down on the bedside table, he bowed.

"And now, because of this inconvenience, I am late to bring tea to the young lord. Just note that his fury will be directed towards you," Sebastian looked highly amused. It would be marvelous to see an arguing match between the two. And, knowledge of her obsession with clothes might be valuable in the future.

She laughed. High and clear. "We'll see about that, butler."

He didn't know why of all things to call him, she called him 'butler'. She knew his name.

He bowed once more, then hopped out of the room. After the door shut, she waited until the rattle of the cart faded down the hallway to sigh. Loudly. He was so strange. Slowly, she grabbed the tea and cake, before leaning back against the headboard to eat.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

To Ciel, dinner was a very important meal. It was his time to unwind from the day, because all he had to do was eat. Sometimes he just had an annoying guest to please and entertain. But other than those times, he looked forward to dinner.

So having Sora in the house put a damper on this. He stopped trying to entertain and please her after the first day. There was just no point. She just sat there looking smug, answering every question with a prompt, sometimes sarcastic reply.

By now, Ciel was pretty sure she wasn't completely human. The way Sebastian acted around her proved that. He acted cautious, guarded, wary… Basically just not himself. And the way she acted… even the way she walked. She seemed to glide across the floor, a ghost. A ghost with perfect features and silvery white hair.

"Today we have a traditional Spanish meal, complemented by dessert, a three milk cake known as '_Tres Leches_'_._ The tea is of Spanish quality as well, containing traditional spices to give it a distinct flavor," Sebastian rattled off from the other side of the table. He watched as Ciel took a bite.

"It'll do," was Ciel's response. He continued to eat.

Sora looked down at her plate. Not even a speck of sauce was in the way. Carefully she cut open the soft tortilla. She took a bite, then frowned. She didn't like Spanish food, she recalled from somewhere. She pushed the main dish aside and reached for the cake. The best part.

The cake itself was quite rich. The icing was the best part, a nice butter cream. She was on her third bite when there was a bang from the hallway, followed by Finni, Bard, and Mey-Rin bursting through the double doors.

"Lady Elizabeth has arrived unexpectedly, yes she has!" Shouted Mey-Rin. Her glasses were all the way pushed up, but her apprehension rolled off in waves. Ciel stood up on the other side of the table.

"Elizabeth's here?" He asked, eyes slightly wide. He moved to the side of the table.

"CIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLL!" Came a high pitched, female voice from the foyer. Ciel grasped the side of the table as a pink blur came flying into the room, tackling him to the ground.

Sora finally got up as Sebastian went to the two on the ground.

"Hello Sebastian!" The girl, Elizabeth, said cheerfully.

"Hello Lady Elizabeth. It's quite wonderful to see you." Elizabeth beamed, and he held out a hand to help her up. "But could you please let my master up? His fragile stomach may not be able to handle such activities after such a heavy meal."

Elizabeth took his hand and got off of a groaning Ciel, who muttered, "Hold your tongue, Sebastian."

Finally, Elizabeth noticed Sora. "Oh Ciel! I'm sorry! I didn't know you had a guest!" She turned to Sora. "Who are you?" She inquired.

"I could ask the same, friend. I work for Ciel's toy company, one of his managers. I'll be here for awhile, for a series of meetings," Sora quickly fabricated something. Elizabeth probably wasn't aware of Ciel's work as the queen's 'dog'.

Elizabeth nodded. Then her eyes lit up. "I love your clothes! But, you're not wearing a dress… Proper ladies wear dresses," she pointed up.

Sebastian snorted. Ciel had gone back to eating, so he watched the scene with amusement.

Sora snorted. "It's not very forgiving to my line of work. And dresses are a nuisance."

"I'll fix that!" Elizabeth grabbed Sora's hand, and dragged her towards the door. The last thing Sebastian heard was, "Unhand me, now!", from a very distraught Sora.

As he watched Ciel eat, he realized he had never seen Sora in a dress. Elizabeth was right. Proper ladies wore dresses, but he had realized very quickly that proper was not a word to describe his little angel.

Wait, what? His eyes widened slightly. When did she become _his _angel? She was most defiantly _not_. Sure, he had gotten over his intense hatred pretty quickly, now settling for slight dislike.

However, the way she seemed to be quickly winning him over slightly alarmed him. For an angel, she was quite amusing, and tolerable enough. But she was still an angel. A sworn enemy.

And of course, he was suspicious of her reasons for being there in the first place. There's no way that Ciel could be making any mistake in his duties to the queen. Because that would mean he was the one making the mistake. And that was highly impossible. He knew quite well that there was something else going on. But Ciel didn't, and he had no reason to think that Ciel was in a life threatening situation yet. For now, he just wanted to see how things played out

It could be interesting.


	5. His Duties, Their Transformations

_**Diluculum Luctus**_

As a butler of the esteemed Phantomhive Manor, Sebastian has to efficiently manage the household. Thus is the sign of a good butler: One who is the last to finish his work late at night, and the first to begin work early the next morning.

So it's quite a hassle when their newest guest decides to wreck hell throughout the ENTIRE night, by making him clean up her living quarters. Carefully, meticulously he folded her clothes just right, to leave crisp creases in all the right places. He hung up her coats and cloaks with care in the wardrobe, and placed her army of shoes in a neat line against the wall. And during all that time, Sebastian had time to reflect on how much of a hassle all of this was. Dealing with an annoying angel, a more annoying master, and even MORE annoying servants.

Speaking of which, a butler's next duty is to assign the servants their daily tasks.

"Mey-Rin, attend to the linens. Finni, tend to the front gardens. Bard, please make preparations for tonight's dinner, as not only Lady Elizabeth to be in attendance, but Lau as well. Now, assuming you have understood your duties, off with you!"

He watched at the three of them scurried away before turning to Tanaka.

"Please, go have some tea," he said with a smile.

"Ho ho ho." And Tanaka was off.

Thirdly, a butler is to prepare morning tea and breakfast for the young lord.

Having heard no crashes yet, Sebastian assumed the best. None of them, especially Mey-Rin, had broken anything. Which was unusual enough. So instead of running around the manor to check, Sebastian kneeled in front of the oven, baking fluffy croissants with a lovely fruit parfait as a side. They were made with freshly plucked wild berries and fresh cream, almost 'straight from the source'. The tea was imported from China, leaves plucked from the banks of the Yellow River itself at the dawn of the last New Year's Celebration. They, in theory, brought good fortune to the drinker. He loaded the cart, with the morning paper as well as breakfast, and was off.

"Young master, it's time to wake up," Sebastian wheeled the cart into Ciel's room, topping it at the bedside before walking over to the windows. He drew back the heavy curtains and let the morning sun flood into the room. After that, he walked back over to Ciel, who had propped himself up on his pillows, leaning against the headboard. "It's a lovely day today."

Ciel just yawned.

"Today's tea is a fine selection imported from China, served on the newest tea set we have, the Herend Chinoiserie that you ordered. Breakfast is a French meal, croissants made with the finest ground flour and a parfait made of freshly plucked berries. I hope it is to your liking."

Sebastian watched as Ciel took a bite, then unfolded the paper. Without even looking up, he muttered, "It'll do."

"Very well sir. Then I shall set about the preparations for tonight's meal. I shall be up shortly to collect you dishes and prepare for the day."

Ciel mumbled something incoherent, and Sebastian left the room.

After checking that Finni hadn't destroyed the garden, and that Mey-Rin hadn't harmed the linins in any way, and that Bard had not destroyed the kitchen with any of his 'cooking tools', Sebastian walked around the manor for a bit, checking on things.

He was rather surprised that he hadn't heard from Sora this morning either. In fact, he hadn't even heard her come home from her midnight stroll.

As long as she wasn't making a mess, he didn't care what she did, to be honest.

After thinking even more deeply about it the night before, Sebastian decided that she was in no way 'his', and that she was just another nuisance sent from (literally) Hell, just to personally torture him and possibly steal Ciel away. He figured that her intentions would be revealed soon enough, and if they got in his way, he would dispose of her quickly and efficiently. Soon, he figured, he could wash his hands clean of all this mess of angels and grim reapers. After devouring the most delicious soul to ever walk this Earth, he would personally go back and kill every super natural being that had ever gotten in his way. Including the angel, if her intentions were as pure as her soul _should _be.

After his stroll through the manor, Sebastian walked back up to Ciel's room to prepare his master for the day.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The queen, Sora decided, had an uncanny knack for summoning her at the most inconvenient of times. Like during her midnight stroll through the Phantomhive gardens, when she could just relax. Or like the one time, where the queen summoned her while she was in the bath. Very unfortunate.

So when the mark on her right hand grew light blue, letting off an eerie colour of the same shade, she sighed and shot one last glace at the marvelous white roses that basked in the soft light of the full moon. She spread her silvery wings, with an impressive wingspan of 21 feet, and leapt of into the sky, flying at a speed that set every animal to shame. She arrived in record time to Her Majesty's castle, right in the heart of London. Now quite damp, for she had to fly through the clouds to avoid curious eyes, she walked into the castle, a silent intruder.

She arrived in the throne room rather quickly, and walked up to the queen, kneeling down on one knee to show her respects. The queen bid her rise quickly, and she stood up.

"I'm glad you came so quickly, Sora," the queen said, genuine happiness on her face.

"Of course, Your Highness, I will never be too far from you. Even if I am to perish before our contract is fulfilled, I will remain by your side."

"That makes me happy… So happy…" The queen murmured, placing her hand on her forehead, pushing aside her bangs to rub the mark of their contract, the same sickly blue. She spaced out for a few moments before snapping back to reality. "I want to know the progress you've made. How much longer?"

"I'm afraid I'll need more time, Your Highness. The butler, Sebastian, is quite a nuisance. He's kept me preoccupied, making it harder to get close to the Earl Phantomhive. But I've made headway."

"Tell me about this butler," the queen said, leaning back into her throne.

"He's not human, my lady. He's a demon, an old one from what I can tell. He's bound to the Earl Phantomhive, like a dog on a leash. Completely faithful it seems. He's already suspicious of me, and knows of my… lineage."

"I want you to focus on him. If he's in the way, like you say, then I feel a more direct approach is in order. Find out why he's bound to the boy," she spat that part out, "And find out the details of their contract. That's an order." The mark on her forehead glowed the sickly blue, and Sora's right eye turned a fleshy pink colour.

Sora placed her right hand, with the uncovered mark, over her chest and bowed, with a devilish smirk on her lips. "Yes, my lady."

Slowly, Sora turned to leave, before the queen called out to her again.

"Sora! I should tell you! The reason I'm so happy…" She fumbled with the ties on her dress, pulling it down to reveal her upper shoulder. There were stitches all over, connecting her pale skin to some of a darker shade; more toned. "Ash has helped me again… Now I'm forever united with my dear Alfred," she hugged herself, with her eyes closed and a content expression. "I love him so much…" She trailed off.

Sora's eyes widened in disgust. How deplorable. But she forced a smile, and once again bowed. "How marvelous, Your Highness. I'm so glad that you are happy."

The queen hummed, and Sora took that as her queue to leave. Just as she exited the throne room, she whipped around to see Ash leaning against a pillar, looking disgusted.

"What a fool," he scoffed, motioning to the door.

"You're one to talk, friend," Sora spat out that last part, glaring daggers at the angel opposite her.

"Hold your tongue, demon. The queen still favours me over you," he stood up straight, and walked over to Sora. He leaned in close, and ran a long finger over the middle of her throat. "Wouldn't it be a shame, if by _accident_, you were to perish?"

Sora smacked his hand away, "And what makes you think _you_ could be more powerful than _I? _I assure you to _not _underestimate me, you bastard. You forget that I could charge you for _treason!_"

Ash laughed. "And who would believe you, love?" He brought his hand up and stroked her cheek. "You're a half-breed bastard child, born into power. Where I am a pure blooded angel, doing my duty to serve in noble attention to wanting humans. The odds are _not_ in your favor."

Now angry, Sora's eyes both began to take on a demonic look, her shadow cast from the full moon beginning to morph. She grabbed his hand and yanked, hearing a satisfying crack as she did so. All Ash did was laugh.

"You disgust me, you demon _filth_." He pulled his arm away, and Sora watched as it popped back into alignment. He put his arm at his side and pulled out his saber. She stood up straighter. She was confident she could take anything he tried to do.

He slashed with no real power towards her, grinning when she sidestepped to avoid him. She aimed a kick at his side but recalled when he swung his saber in that direction. She growled, a wild, feral sound, and in a flash of light, a regal bow appeared. It was a rich silver, a with white-gold decorative design. A few arrows appeared in her other hand, and she strung it quickly. Just as quickly, she shot an arrow straight at his head. Her accuracy was dead sharp, and he ducked to avoid it. She jumped towards him, pulling a knife out of her boot. Tackling him to the ground, she slashed his throat. Just deep enough to hurt, but not deep enough to kill.

"How boring," she purred into his ear, watching his flesh knit back together.

"Is that all you can do!" He roared. He pulled his arm up, trying to slash her with the saber. But a flash of intense pain caused him to flinch and drop his weapon. His eyes widened and he began to shiver.

She laughed, and got up. Sticking out of his stomach was an arrow, buried to the core in his body. He screamed. She turned, licking his blood off her fingers, and left.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

When the Phantomhive manor came into sight, Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Ash wouldn't dare follow her and blow the plan yet. Landing on a tree, Sora checked her appearance. Drops of Ash's blood stained her shirt, and her gloves were missing. If she walked in like this, Sebastian would have a fit. One, because of the mess she would make, and two, because of the mark of her contract with the queen. It was still glowing, and she could still feel the adrenaline of her minor transformation.

It had been ages since she transformed fully into one of her true forms. Going back to her theory about her father, if she could change her appearance she could change her true form as a demon. Usually she kept it as a wolf. A huge, six foot tall wolf. Or a raven, like she had with the queen. Usually, she tried to avoid it.

Her demon side disgusted her. It was an evil presence, that defiled the Earth. She was supposed to be a Messenger of the Heavens, but instead she was a bastard half-breed. Like Ash had said. She hated him, that he knew about her, and so easily brushed her 'authority' over him aside. He knew just how to infuriate her.

Sora looked at the sky, wondering just how she had gotten into this mess.

Slowly, she formed a plan. She would walk in the front doors like usual, but she would turn her cloak to hide part of her shirt, and her right hand. If Sebastian asked about the blood, she would tell him she had fallen on a berry bush or something like that… Even better! She took out her knife from her boot again and flipped it open. Grimacing, she sliced her left palm open. Ouch.

Now she was ready. She spread her wings again and took off.

She flew to the outskirts of the property, before retracting her wings and walking the rest of the way. She should arrive near the gardens, and she could use the excuse she had fallen asleep out there. Yeah. It's sort of believable…

Sneakily, she peeked over the edge of the carefully trimmed hedge, looking for Finni. Seeing nobody, she jumped over gracefully and crawled through until she could stand up behind a tree. She moved her cloak to the side, covering her right half completely. Ready.

Up on the second floor of the manor, Sebastian, who was cleaning the windows in the library, watched as the angel came out from behind a tree, looking quite disheveled. His eyes narrowed. Knowing her, she would never let her clothes get that dirty, if she could help it. Something was up. Finishing up the window, he climbed down from his perch (for he had to reach quite high to get some parts of the window), and made his way to the foyer.

Sora slowly opened the front door, peeking into the dark main foyer. Slowly she crept inside, making naught a sound. Just as she was about to start on the stairs…

"My lady? Where have you been?" The sleek voice of one Sebastian Michaelis cut through the silence like a knife.

Cringing, like a child who just got caught stealing from the cookie jar, Sora turned. As he got a good glimpse of her, his eyes narrowed, and he sniffed the air. His eyes began to glow the same fleshy pink colour, and he leapt towards her with alarming speed. She narrowly avoided him, yelping as she did so. As he aimed a kick at her head, she ducked and made a break for the stairs. And she would have made it to, had it not been for her unfortunately long cape.

He grabbed the edge of it, and slung it back with such a force that she went flying backwards, towards the door. With a loud bang, her body collided with the door and she fell in a heap to the floor. Grimacing, she pulled out her ever trusty knife, and when he pounced on her, she stuck it in his shoulder with all the force she could muster with her cut and bloody hand.

He ignored it, as if it wasn't even there, grabbing her left hand and pinning it above her head. His blood dripped down onto her, a couple drops hitting her face. All the while, she could hear a faint growling coming from him.

"Who the hell are you?" He spat out, getting dangerously close to her face. He brought his hand that wasn't being used to hold hers up to the clasp of her cloak, unclasping it in one snap. He reached in and brought out her right hand, glaring at the still glowing mark.

While he was glaring, his grasp lightened a little bit. So she clenched her right fist and punched him in the jaw. Girl or not, she still had the strength of any regular demon. He flew backwards, effectively getting him off of her.

Now being the one on the floor, Sebastian grabbed the knife still lodged in his shoulder and threw it at her. She snatched it out of the air easily, and threw it aside. She looked at him with a death glare more intense then he had ever seen, and merely said, "I am simply one hell of a half-breed."

He crouched on the floor, and pounced just as she did. They met in midair, and he brought out his secret arsenal of silverware that was hidden in his tailcoat's sleeve. He tried to slice at her face, but she blocked him with her arm and pressed one of the pressure points in his arm. He growled and aimed a punch to her stomach, which she barely blocked. They pushed away from each other and landed back on the tiled floor.

She could tell now that he was really getting riled up. His shadow was beginning to morph, from what she could see, and his face was determined. Either he found something out, or his instinct was driving him insane. She guessed the latter. It was natural instinct to hate angels, and even greater instinct to kill them when they're down.

And she was right. He began to be surrounded by a deep black mist, his eyes being the only thing visible through the fog, shining red. He was transforming into his true form already? He really wasn't messing around.

Now was the hard part. From her fight with Ash earlier, she was already riled up enough to try a transformation, like him. Or she could fight in her angel form, wings and all. That was a whole other transformation in itself. She knew which one was more powerful… but should she? Yes.

She crouched back down on the floor, the same black mist now seeping from her pores, smelling absolutely horrid. She could feel her body beginning to morph, an unpleasant sensation that made her very bones itch. But it's not like she could scratch it… And the fur… it exploded out of her skin as her limbs became more canine, her spine curving and forcing her to the ground until her arms caught up. Long claws forced their way out of her cuticles. All of this was the painful part, and she could imagine it being more painful for Sebastian.

And her face. She felt it getting longer, shifting into a large snout with teeth that were unbelievably long and sharp, her nose becoming moist and her smell becoming keener. She howled.

Finally it was finished.

The mist faded, and she now stood six feet off the ground. Her fur was a silvery gray, shining in the light, and she felt powerful. Her muscles tensed as she looked toward Sebastian, who had finished his transformation as well.

His face was still recognizable (which was more than she could say for herself), with glowing pink irises and slit pupils. Also, his teeth were longer, canines being fully visible. He still had on his tailored jacket, but his arms were longer, coming down to his knees. His fingernails had tripled in length, and they were still painted black. The pants he had on before were still there, but instead of his normal shoes he had high heeled stiletto boots on. Finally, he had misshapen wings, black as night with feathers sticking out every which way.

Together, they stood opposite each other, fully transformed. How could all of this transpire in a day?

But that wasn't important now. All that mattered was the now unavoidable battle.


	6. His Hostility, Her Dreams

_**Diluculum Luctus**_

Sora let out a growl from the pit of her stomach. Sebastian cackled, actually _cackled_. They lunged towards each other, Sora opening her mouth to reveal dagger-like teeth and aiming for Sebastian's throat.

She had no idea why he reacted like he did. He was a butler, for Pete's sake! This wasn't very proper!

He sidestepped, and avoided her teeth, before jerking around to grab her tail. She yelped loudly, and swiped at his chest with her claws. He grabbed her paw, and crushed it in his grip. She yelped and fell to the ground, whimpering. He smiled, and kicked her side, flinging her across the room. He ran up to her side, and dug her discarded knife into her side, twisting it around. He drew it out again, and did the same, this time stabbing her in the heart.

She let out a howl of pain, as everything went a deathly black.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Oh my, what do we have here?" Sebastian asked with an amused expression, looking down at the literally fallen angel. He had watched her hop the hedge from the study window, the room he had been cleaning. He had also watched when she had suddenly collapsed right after, bleeding onto the grass from her hand.

What amused him were the shudders and murmurs she was making in her unconscious state. He swore he even heard his name… somewhere in the muddled mess.

However, as the Phantomhive butler, he could not have her making a mess by bleeding onto the grass. Finni had actually done a halfway decent job of tending to the lawn and gardens today, and he didn't want it ruined. Sighing, Sebastian picked up the distressed angel, folding her arm over her chest so she wouldn't bleed over him either; she'd bleed on herself.

Sebastian brought her up to her room, lying her on her bed so he could bandage her hand and then get Mey-Rin to change her clothes. He lifted up her left hand, which was where the blood was coming from, and wrapped some gauze around it.

A good butler should always keep medical supplies handy, especially with a master like Ciel.

All of a sudden, in her sleep, Sora flinched, letting out a pained yelp. She yanked her hand out of his grasp and curled up in the fetal position, hiding her face in the pillow.

Sebastian frowned down at her. "How troublesome. You'll bleed all over the linens Mey-Rin so nicely washed today if you don't let me finish…"

This time, she screamed. Into the pillow, thankfully, but the sound was still earsplitting. And she jerked awake with a cough, rolling off the bed onto the floor with a thump. Sebastian watched on with amusement as her eyes widened, obviously not knowing where she was for a second. She turned her gaze onto him and glared daggers.

Sebastian sighed. So her dream _had _been about him. What a bother.

"What are _you _doing here, butler?" She all but spat out, picking herself off the floor.

He ignored her. "Well, I'll be going. I have other duties to attend to," Sebastian said nastily, bowing slightly before leaving. "Oh, and please do clean up that blood." With that, he left, softly closing the door behind him.

Blood? Sora looked down at her hands and yelped. There was blood covering her clothes! That will never do! But first, she should clean up her hand…

As she was doing that, she sighed. Was all of that, a dream? Obviously her meeting with the queen had happened, or else her hand would be fine. But the fight with Sebastian… that was a dream? It had seemed so real. Even her back and heart hurt. Like it had happened… but not. Too confusing, she decided.

Now, her clothes. This was a tragedy!

Quickly she stripped, looking in the mirror to look for more injuries, and was shocked at what she saw.

Bruises of the deepest purple hues littered her porcelain skin, covering her back and side, where Sebastian had kicked her in the dream. There were multiple bruises elsewhere, but none were as bad as the ones that were where he had stabbed her. It was a dream, yet… not?

She shook it off. It was a dream. Just a dream.

Right?

She looked around her floor to select her next outfit… before realizing it was impeccably clean. She frowned. Sebastian had been in her room. That was kind of unsettling.

She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out white gloves and a purple number, a nice silver-trimmed tunic with white leggings and purple flats. She even pinned part of her bangs back with a decorative barrette that had amethyst minerals set in silver. It was very nice, except for her eyes threw off the whole number. She'd try to transform them, but it'd take too much effort.

After she changed, and got the dried blood off, she decided to go down to the kitchen. If Sebastian wasn't there, she'd make something herself.

Wandering through the halls, Sora began to hum. It wasn't anything specific, just nonsense. But it made her feel better, and soon she was skipping and twirling too. Gracefully, she did complex ballet moves and lovely midair aerobatics. She was in high spirits by the time she arrived at the kitchen.

Sneakily, she peeked her head into the dark room and looked around. No demon butler in sight. Good. She walked into the room, lighting a few candles with a box of matches lying on the counter. Now with light, she could cook. Now the trouble was thinking of something to cook. Something with lemons, defiantly. Lemon cake? Chocolate covered lemon slices? Was that even a dish?

Apparently it was now. Sora wandered about the kitchen, looking for pans and pots. Soon, she found what she was looking for. A six inch deep pan that could be used to melt the chocolate. She also found the nice sheet of parchment that she could use to place the chocolate covered lemons on to cool. Yes, things were going nicely. Next she had to locate the ingredients. That wasn't too hard, because the Phantomhive manor had an overabundant supply of both chocolate, for Ciel, and lemons, for Sora.

First she set about peeling the lemons. She peeled around six, so she could have plenty extra to snack on for the rest of the week. Then, she carefully de-seeded them, piling the seeds into a little mountain on the corner of the counter. Next, she separated each slice of lemon, leaving her with about 48 little slices, give or take a few. She dumped the sliced into chilled water while she heated the oven to exactly 60 degrees Celsius. This was difficult to do on a fire powered stove, but she managed.

Since you never heat chocolate over direct heat, she set a pot of water on first, then placed the two bars of chocolate in a pan on top of that. She stirred nonstop until the chocolate was perfectly melted, rich and creamy. Knowing Sebastian, the chocolate was probably made of the finest cocoa beans in all of England. And it payed off, because already her stomach was rumbling.

She strained the water from the lemons, leaving them ready to meet a chocolaty death. She dipped each one onto the pot of chocolate and laid it out on the piece of parchment. After all 52 were finished (she counted this time), she placed the piece or parchment paper in the freezer.

While waiting for those to cool, she decided to try to do something about her blood-stained outfit. It was one of her favourites, a navy blue tunic with a patent black leather belt and knee length navy shorts to match. Luckily, the patent black leather boots were saved.

Running up to her room, she collected the affected items and ran all the way back down to the wash room. On the way, she ran into Mey-Rin, who offered to help. But Sora declined. This was a serious matter that she didn't know if Mey-Rin could handle it.

She placed her clothes in the coal powered wash machine, added three cups of soap, and set it to run.

Whew. She felt like some kind of domestic goddess.

Deciding now all she could do was wait, she sat down in the kitchen, staring at the ceiling with her stomach crying out for food. It was a pitiful sound. Suddenly a voice rang out from outside the kitchen, in the hallway.

"Mey-Rin, did I tell you to start another wash?" Sebastian asked crossly, walking into the kitchen. He hated it when they acted on their own. He was about to chastise more when he realized it was not, in fact, the maid sitting in the kitchen. He looked on in mild surprise at the angel, who just stared at him with a confused expression.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I mistook you for that imbecile. But what are you doing in the servants wing?" He snapped out, but he actually was genuinely curious. Ciel avoided this place like the plague, as it was no place for a noble.

"I got hungry. And wanted to clean off my clothes, to see if I could rid them of the blood," was her simply reply. She didn't look embarrassed at all to be found in the servants wing, nor did she look troubled enough to move.

He stared at her crossly. "You should get back to your room. If you stay down here you'll be in the way as we do our work," he said, motioning to the door.

She laughed. "It sounds like you're saying I'll get in the way more than those three idiots." Still she didn't move.

He ignored that statement. "Maybe you've forgotten, but your little episode on the lawn today caused me more trouble than you think. I had to get Finni to wash out the grass of your blood. How did you manage to fall asleep in the garden?" Secretly he knew that this probably wasn't the case. Too many things just didn't add up. But frankly, Ciel had ordered him to keep an eye on her, but he hadn't ordered him to follow her around, or spy on her just yet. So until he did, he was just fine leaving her be.

She looked mildly surprised that he had said that. She blushed a little, and replied, "Skill." Was he really that stupid? It was blatantly obvious that she had not slept in the garden. Too many things didn't add up. What was he playing at?

"You should really be more careful," he chastised, "I don't need to be taking care of a sick angel." He spat that part out.

She glared at him, much like she had earlier that afternoon. "That's not 'proper' of a butler."

He glared back. "As a Phantomhive butler, it is my duty to keep this household running smoothly and efficiently. Whether that means washing the linens, cooking meals, of exterminating _bugs_," he walked over to the table and smacked hid hand down showing her his prey; a spider. "I am to make sure nothing gets in the way of my master and his plans. Thus is my duty. I won't be having any _bugs_," he held up the spider by its leg, "Interfering with my job."

"Then I say, there are just some bugs you can't get rid of," she smirked back, watching as he killed the spider.

He glanced up, hatred in his eyes. "Apparently so."

Ouch. Where had all of this hostility come from today? Just a couple days ago he had held her in a grudging respect, but now he was back to hating her. It couldn't have been just because of today's events. Maybe Ciel had angered him.

"Now, pray leave. I have other matters to attend to. I can't be babysitting you."

She stood up, and spat out with venom, "Babysitting? Pray tell, why are you babysitting me?"

He walked closer, anger and hatred filling up the room as it seeped from him. "Because I don't trust you, _madam._"

She scoffed, "And why is that, _butler?_"

He moved to make a break for the door. He couldn't stand her anymore. But of course, she blocked his way, standing in the middle of the doorway with her gloved hands on the frames. He hissed, and she smirked. He could easily pick her up and throw her aside, but he knew that would just rile her up more. And since she had the strength of a demon as well, he didn't want to chance breaking something with their fight.

"Because you," he leaned in closer, right next to her ear, "Are a little bastard half-breed nuisance."

With that, he pushed her aside and stalked down the hallway, leaving her alone, wide-eyed, and speechless.


End file.
